twin moon

Chapter 70, Scene [-], First Battle II

In the tenth year of Yuansui, on the eighth day of the seventh month, the wind stopped and the sea was still, and there were no clouds for thousands of miles.

Ye Guogong Qi and Yin sat in Wende Hall, their eyes were bloodshot, their complexions were ashen, as if they had not slept all night.According to the usual practice, the court meeting should have ended long ago.But when Xiang Baili hastily rode his horse into the palace to meet him, he saw all the civil and military officials still kneeling at the bottom of the steps, all bowing their heads, not daring to speak to each other.

A piece of paper was scattered in a mess in the silent hall, and the thin paper trembled slightly with the wind.The memorandum was torn in two. Although I don't know the text on it, General Tsing Yi can almost conclude that what was written in the memorandum must be about the attack of the Peng Kingdom fleet, and the fierce words of the Marquis of Jinghai in the memorandum made him angry. The lord was furious.

Nowadays, Qi Ziyin, who is getting older, can also participate in the court meeting every day, and listen to the laws of governing the country.Kneeling on the ground with all the officials, he raised his head slightly and kept winking at Xiang Baili who had just entered the hall.And before that, it was he who quietly asked his bodyguard Wan Shi to send a message out of the palace with the black crow.

What is very surprising is that Qi Zixiu rushed back to Wangcheng from Xiyin overnight.At this moment, he was standing by the side of the king, whispering something in his ear from time to time, as if he was sharing the king's worries and pointing out the country.

General Tsing Yi also saw the chunky Marquis Jinghai and Yu Li behind him.The young General Pinghai stared at Baili recklessly with a pair of bulging eyes, making him finally understand why the news in the camp spread like wildfire.Qi Shouyu also quickly noticed his arrival, turned his face full of righteous indignation and asked:

"General Baili, you worked really hard last night. Were there any other Penguin reinforcements outside the unknown bay?"

"No new enemy ships have been found yet. Even if the other party plans to continue the sneak attack, I'm afraid it will have to wait until nightfall. However, the last general has sent a light boat to the sea to guard. If there are more enemy ships appearing, we should be able to find them in time." Tsing Yi The general bowed his hands politely, wondering what the other party wanted to do.

But before he could figure it out, Qi Heyin took up the topic, and his anxiety was palpable: "How long will it take for the soldiers and warships in the Baisha camp to be ready?"

Shocked at Baili, he immediately took a step forward, knelt on one knee and played loudly: "My lord, sending troops is a major plan of the country. Just one hair will move the whole body, so don't be too hasty—"

"The widow only asks you, when will the preparations be completed?" Qi Heyin interrupted him directly.

"If you want to attack the Peng Kingdom, which is thousands of miles away, the long-distance attack will inevitably exhaust the people and horses, and there is no chance of winning. Please think twice, the lord!"

General Tsing Yi wanted to persuade him again, but the lord of the palace changed his humble attitude of accepting good words, and asked sharply: "General Baili, you are afraid of fighting before the battle. Could it be that your reputation as the number one warrior on land is just in vain?" Is it on the table?"

"My lord! The war between the six countries in the southeast has just subsided. If another dispute is rashly started at this time, the people of Wanzhou may be dragged into dire straits again. Please think about it in the long run!"

Seeing that Xiang Baili strongly opposed sending troops, Jinghaihou fanned the flames from the side and said:

"Why do you want to take a long-term view? This king asks you, could it be that the ones on board those ships are not the Lanyan from Pengguo?"

General Tsing Yi couldn't deny it, so he just nodded: "The kerosene carried by the enemy ship is indeed Lan Yan."

"Then have any clues to prove the other party's identity been found on board?"

"Currently, among the wreckage of the Wuya warship, the rudder chain unique to the ships of the Peng Kingdom has been found. There are also many objects with hammerhead shark patterns in the cabin, so there is no doubt that they are indeed the ships of the Peng Kingdom Navy."

"Then why hesitate about sending troops? The enemy has already attacked outside the gate of our country!"

Qi Shouyu was clearly leading the answer step by step to the direction that would be conducive to dispatching troops, but General Tsing Yi suddenly changed the subject, turned his head to look directly at the short and fat prince and asked:

"Master Overseer, have you never felt that these so-called evidences are too obvious, as if they were deliberately planted on the Peng Kingdom? Although those ships were full of deadly blue flames last night, judging from their power, the number has already It is close to the production of Moon Marsh for a whole year. May I ask, if he is willing to spend so much money for a sneak attack that is destined to be discovered, what benefit can he have for Peng?"

"Since he will act like this, he naturally has his reasons. Why should the general worry about the invading enemy country!"

Jinghaihou was a little speechless when asked, but he still refused to let go.

"Furthermore, Admiral Mo had sent someone to investigate carefully, and there was not a single soldier in the entire attacking fleet. The soldiers he sent chased them out of the port for twenty or thirty miles overnight, and there was no trace of any other ships. The retreat was successful. It is so clean without leaving any traces, even our elite boat masters of the Ye State may not be able to do it, and it has never been heard of in the past. As the warlord, Lord Hou insisted that it was the surprise attack of the Peng Kingdom, so I would like to ask you a question or two. How did the other party do it?"

Qi Shouyu was finally overwhelmed by the question.He stared fiercely at the Tsing Yi general in front of him with a pair of eyes, but his tongue seemed to be clamped by something.On the other hand, the ruler of the country seemed to be moved by Xiang Baili's words, there was less chaos in his brows, and his tone was not as aggressive as before:
"Then...according to Baili Aiqing's intention, what should I do now?"

General Tsing Yi immediately turned around and saluted, and continued to remonstrate:
"In my opinion, there are still many doubts about what happened last night. If we send troops without authorization and start the war lightly, if it is proved after the confrontation with Peng that someone deliberately provoked the two countries, I am afraid it will be hard to recover and the innocent will be implicated. People. Right now, it is better to suspend sending troops and send envoys to Peng to seek evidence before making a judgment."

"Speaking... makes sense..."

Duke Ye nodded his head, but his spirit was visibly sluggish, as if he had not recovered from a serious illness and was extremely exhausted.

"Please forgive me for presumptuousness, but in my opinion—"

Seeing this, Qi Zixiu who was beside the king immediately cupped his hands and wanted to interrupt.But as soon as his words started, he was pushed back abruptly by the king:

"Your opinion is not important! This time, you will return without being summoned. You——did you listen to the sound of the trumpet on the tower and think that the widow is no longer alive? Who allowed you to stand beside the widow in a dignified manner to discuss politics? ? How decent it is!"

In just an instant, Duke Ye's attitude towards his eldest son changed dramatically.A moment ago, it was clear that he personally asked the eldest son to come forward to make suggestions in front of all the civil and military officials, but at this moment, he kicked the opponent's ass fiercely, kicking him directly off the high platform where the throne was placed!

Qi Heyin stared wide-eyed, scanning the court officials like an angry lion.However, when he saw Jing Haihou, his fierce eyes became slumped again, and then he sat down softly on the throne, his chest heaving violently:

"My widow, my widow suddenly feels a little unwell, and the matter of sending troops—"

"Xiang Baili! Look at how angry you are with the country's lord! Don't forget that this time it was clearly the Peng country's wanton provocation. The reason for retreating. Otherwise, how can we protect the country's prestige? How will we gain a foothold among the princes in the future?"

"There is a saying in the art of war, as a general, he uses wisdom to attack and plan, this is the top; using tactics to attack and fight, this is the middle; using soldiers to attack, this is the bottom; and attacking the enemy's city, it is not necessary to lose one's own strength. The victor should make the next move, which is really not advisable. Could it be that the word national prestige is more important than the stability of the people and the stability of the country in the eyes of the military governor?"

General Tsing Yi still argued with reason.Unexpectedly, when Jinghaihou heard this, he suddenly burst out laughing. The laughter echoed among the pillars of the hall, revealing an undisguised arrogance and domineering:

"General, don't forget that just a short year ago, the six countries in the southeast were still at war. The reason why the people of my Ye country live and work in peace and contentment and not be displaced is precisely because of the intimidation of the boat masters and the mighty power of the country!"

Xiang Baili immediately sneered:
"The people live and work in peace and contentment? May I ask Lord Overseer, have you ever counted how many bones of hungry people are buried in the mass graves in the west of the city? Have you ever seen the hungry people dying outside the Jinshui Gate after nightfall, crying loudly!"

"The ones you mentioned are all refugees, they are refugees!" Qi Shouyu became a little angry from embarrassment.

"What is a refugee? Wei Liang and Huai You have been fighting for the thousands of miles of fertile fields on the shore of Yugu Lake for more than four years. Even though the flames of war have never reached the west bank, the people in the nearby villages are afraid that one day they will be taken away by a sudden attack in their sleep. They fled their homes one after another, causing large tracts of fertile land to be abandoned. And the Yeliang Plain is the most fertile grain area in our country. The harvest has dropped sharply year after year, and more and more hungry people have moved westward. Could it be that these people are in the eyes of the warlord? , are you no longer a citizen of Ye Kingdom?!"

What Xiang Baili said was just and righteous, and many officials kneeling under the steps couldn't help nodding in agreement.However, from the narrowed eyes of Jing Haihou who was refuted speechless by himself, he faintly sensed some elusive ailments.

"Okay, stop arguing, both lovers, and send troops as soon as you send them out. Order you two to divide the troops from land and sea for a period of half a month, so that all invading enemies will never come back!"

No one expected that Qi Heyin, who seemed to have been persuaded by Xiang Baili, suddenly waved his hand and still decided to send troops!General Tsing Yi couldn't help being shocked, and immediately wanted to persuade him again, but he was so anxious that his voice couldn't help trembling:

"The lord is not allowed! Could it be that the last general's statement just now is meaningless to you?"

"The widow has made up her mind. Right now, I have a splitting headache, you all should step back quickly, and don't bring up this matter again!"

"But the lord, my subject—"

Xiang Baili wanted to fight again, but was stopped abruptly by the Marquis of Jinghai:
"The lord has already spoken. Why, General Baili, don't you want to violate the emperor's order?"

Facing this hostile questioning and threat, Xiang Baili knew in his heart that it would be futile to say anything at this time.But no matter what, he couldn't figure out why Duke Ye, who has always been a wise man, would behave so capriciously today.However, since the king's order was issued, he had no choice but to lower his head, so as not to let the king sitting on a high place see his resentful expression, he replied in a low voice:

"The minister... takes orders..."

Afterwards, General Tsing Yi got up and left the hall, but his heart was in a mess, and he walked very fast.Because he faintly realized that perhaps from this day on, the peaceful life that the six generations of Ye Kingdom monarchs had struggled to maintain for nearly a hundred years had come to an end.

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(End of this chapter)